A while ago we reported that there will indeed be a fourth Pirates of the Caribbean film, entitled On Stranger Tides. There's been a bit of confusion, since author Tim Powers had written a novel in 1988 with the same name, about Blackbeard the Pirate seeking the Fountain of Youth. Now, Pirates author Terry Rossio has provided some clarification to Empire Online, saying that essentially Disney has bought the rights to the novel, and incorporated elements of the plot into the newest adventure of Jack Sparrow and company:

We wanted to do a story about Blackbeard and the Fountain of Youth, and Tim Powers wrote a book about Blackbeard and the Fountain of Youth... it just turns out that to do that story you would need that book. It's a brilliant and Tim Powers is an amazing writer - and it's a great title. It allows us to draw material from that universe and his expertise.

Interesting. I loved the first entry, Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, but the sequels got increasingly ridiculous and bombastically overdone. The third one, At World's End, was so completely ridiculous, with an impenetrably stupid plot, that it was barely watchable (although I still think the ending is cute). I'd like to actually see them dial it back a little -- less emphasis on whiz-bang effects, please. The cast was solid, and part of what made the first one so fun was simply enjoying them working together. However, although Geoffrey Rush has confirmed that he'll return as Captain Barbossa, both Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom have stated that they'll likely not return. Eh, Rush and Johnny Depp were the most fun anyway.

Of course, it's Disney and it'll be a summer tentpole, which means that they'll shit on any possibility of character development and just blow shit up and have giant ridiculous monsters. Which, while it sounds fun in theory, ended up being painful in execution. Sorry, Tim Powers -- prepare to see your book turned into a circus.

TK Burton is the Editorial Director. You may email him here or follow him on Twitter.